Category: Lessons With STC Dressage

You Have the Tools - Part 3

7/22/2021

Part 1
Part 2

Up until this weekend's show, not one single test we've done together has held even a moment of joy. Quite the opposite in fact. Each time Izzy and I have entered and exited the ring, I've thought to myself, this is not fun. Why am I doing this? The first test on Saturday left me feeling a bit discouraged, but during the second test, I found myself smiling and actually enjoying being in the ring with my big brown horse. It had finally become fun. When I woke up on Sunday morning, I was actually looking forward to showing.

I left STC Dressage and headed to El Sueño with Sean Cunningham, owner and trainer, right behind me. His plan for me was simple: just keep chipping away at Izzy's tension. I wasn't to get grabby with the reins, and I was to ignore the spooks and unfocused moments. While that might sound vague, I knew exactly what Sean wanted me to do.

The first test, Second Level Test 1, went better than it had the day before, but it was still weak. I am not putting all of the blame on Izzy, but if he would just dial it down a notch things would be a lot easier. In all honesty, I know the "blame" is really on me. Speedy was so easy compared to the big brown horse. As long as I rode decently, Speedy would give me everything he had. Izzy is much more sensitive, so he needs me to be a much better rider than I am. All I can say is that I am working on it.

It's a complicated explanation, but suffice it to say that the Second Level riders were treated to two judges. I was thrilled by this unexpected gift because it gave me twice the feedback. The judge from the day before was still at C, but a second judge sat at E. For 2-1, the judge at C gave us a 53.243%, and the judge at E gave us a 56.486%. For those who may not know, when there are multiple judges, the scores are averaged. In the end, we walked away with a 54.865% which was a big improvement over the day before (50.405%). Not what I am working towards, but any improvement is is a good thing.

Judge at C

Judge at E

Judge at C

Judge at E

I thought the scores from 2-1 were deserved, and the further remarks from both judges expressed what I felt. The judge at C remarked, "Capable pair but too much tension today, need to develop correct basics of the training scale." This judge really didn't think much of me, and I say that with a laugh. She can only judge what's put in front of her, not what happens at home.

The judge at E said essentially the same thing, but it came across a bit kinder, "Difficulties with relaxation today making straightens, engagement hard to show. Rider quietly encourages horse well but needs relaxed topline and to take weight behind for this level."

Again, we chipped away at some of Izzy's anxiety, but there's more work to be done. One huge improvement overall was the warm up. As on Saturday, but even more so on Sunday, he was very ho hum about the warmup. I am pretty sure he was just over the whole thing which worked in my favor. It was as though he had finally thrown in the resistance towel. I could hear him saying, Okay already. I give up!

While the 2-2 test was MUCH steadier than nearly every other test we've done - no more screaming his head off the entire time, there were still issues. The medium gaits just aren't there yet because of the tension. The simple changes are improving rapidly at home, but again, with his topline tight, he can't sit for the canter to walk. The other issue we're having is the anticipation of the walk to canter at both A and C.

We can't get rid of the tension though unless we go to shows. Unfortunately, where I live, there aren't regular schooling or even small shows; it's either USDF or nothing. Being able to do the movements at home is great, but the point is to show off what he knows in public. So for now, we'll keep taking the hit on our scores until he gains confidence. All of these issues will be resolved once Izzy starts to relax and enjoy himself.

Judge at C

Judge at E

Judge at C

Judge at E

Some of the judges' negative remarks were expected. Sean and I have talked about sacrificing points if it means maintaining control. Yes, I would like him to stretch his neck in the free walk or be less conservative in the medium canter, but right now, maintaining control is more important. Sean cautioned me about letting out too much rein or going too big as a spook and bolt would hurt our scores far more than the 5.5s or 6.0s ever could.

Was 2-2 all bad? Nope. There was so much that was great! The turns on the haunches are really coming along, as are the rein backs. Izzy really struggled with both of those movements just six months ago. Izzy's counter canter is also becoming a strength. I am super proud of his first 8.0, and it came in the counter canter from the judge at C. The bobble in the walk to canter at C, which led to the medium canter, really affected the next several scores. Had we picked up and held that canter, we would have easily scored 60%.

So. Big success or epic failure? My trainer, my friends, and Izzy's fans are thrilled. So am I actually. I know that Izzy is progressing rapidly. I may spend a small fortune this year on entries just to earn dismal scores, but it will pay off as Izzy learns to cope with the show environment. Our next show is back at SCEC on August 7th and 8th. With Sean in my corner as coach, trainer, and cheerleader, I know he'll keep giving me the tools I need to succeed.

One more show post tomorrow ...

You Have the Tools - Part 2

7/21/2021

Part 1

Spoiler alert: We did not win anything, nor did we get that elusive 60%. Instead, Izzy continued to show great improvement which has been our goal from the beginning. Mission accomplished.

However. While this show had some super great moments - we earned an 8 for our counter canter; there were others that left a bitter taste in my mouth. For the first time ever, I felt that my scores didn't accurately reflect the ride I had.

Not one of the disappointing moments.

I know there are many people out there rooting for our success; your support means a lot. There are also those out there who feel vindicated when I fail. My low scores only prove their point. We struggle, and there's no hiding that, so when I say my scores from Saturday were maybe not so fair, many of you will agree while others will say they are exactly what I deserve. I'll let you be the judge.

For the warm up on Saturday, Izzy was game on. He listened and kept his attention on me. Sean Cunningham, owner and trainer at STC Dressage, was thrilled with Izzy's behavior. Sean worked as coach, trainer, groom, and life coach. Throughout the day he kept both Izzy and me motivated and focused. He reminded me repeatedly that I have the tools to ride Izzy successfully, so when we entered at A, I felt confident that this was it; this was going to be the test where we finally proved that we were where we belonged.

Things didn't go quite to plan. When we walked out of the test, Sean shook his head and sighed. I agreed with the sentiment. The horse I had in the warmup was most definitely not the horse that halted at X. Izzy basically threw a temper tantrum, stamping his feet while sticking out his lower lip and saying NO. It was embarrassing to say the least.

My videographer had some technical difficulties, so the test was recorded in two chunks. If you watch them, I am sure you'll agree with the judge's score of 50.405%

As frustrating as it was, Sean immediately moved on. Yes, Izzy was hot and cranky, but we still had a job to do. We took him back to the trailer where we untacked him and let him eat and drink for a while. There was nothing to do but regroup and try again. An hour later, we were back in the warm up on a horse with a much better attitude. I got some of the best toward the bit feeling that Izzy has offered so far. My earlier disappointment had faded, and I felt we were truly ready to "show."

I finished the second test with a huge smile. It was the best feeling test we'd ridden so far. That doesn't mean it was brilliant, but there were some really good moments and far fewer bad moments. Both Sean and I were certain that we had finally hit a 60%. The judge disagreed. Not only did she think the ride was a failure, but in her further remarks, she basically said we didn't belong at Second Level. She gave us a 52.561%, a mere 2% better than the first ride.

I've since watched the test a few times while reading the judge's comments, and while they may be justifiable, they also feel punitive. It's probably a case of sour grapes, but I truly thought that we deserved better. It felt as though she had made up her mind about us during the first test and simply expected us to perform poorly for the second test. We did have a few rough moments, of that there is no doubt. Would another judge have been able to forgive the earlier ride and score us with a fresh view? I don't know. While it was upsetting, there was nothing to do but go out there the next day and prove her wrong.

To be continued ...

You Have the Tools - Part 1

7/20/2021

I think this past weekend was about truly believing Sean Cunningham, owner and Trainer at STC Dressage, when he tells me, "You have the tools." What he means is that no matter how tense or spooky Izzy gets, I have the knowledge to work him through it. Izzy may never get untense at a show or lesson, but it doesn't matter because I am now learning how to successfully ride him through it.

STC Dressage's beautiful barn.

I don't know why it didn't occur to me sooner in the season, but like at the show in June, I arrived at STC Dressage two days early so that I could get an extra lesson. Instead of arriving on Friday and taking a warm up lesson at the show grounds, I came on Thursday so that I could get both a lesson and a schooling ride before the show. Besides getting to ride, showing up a day early allows me to study Sean as he rides and teaches throughout the day. Let's just say that Izzy isn't the only tense horse out there. Studying Sean's aids when dealing with resistance gives me a better visual which helps me when I am dealing with similar issues.

The barn at STC Dressage is decked out in beautiful flowers.

Like at every other show this year, I rode Second Level Tests 1 and 2. Like every other show this year, Izzy was tense, but less than at the show before. In fact the overall improvement was huge. To start with, he unloaded at STC Dressage, followed me over to his regular pee spot, and pee'd on command. He then led me straight to "his" stall and marched right in. He nickered at his barn mates, Clooney and Cinco, and then walked over to the automatic waterer and helped himself. In no time he was munching on hay and feeling right at home.

Izzy knows which one is his.

Our lesson that afternoon was one of the most productive we've had in terms of working on actual movements. Throughout the lesson, Izzy's ears hung at half mast as he happily got to work. Sean was quite pleased with his progress which meant he was pleased with how I am applying what I am learning from one lesson to the next. The next day, Friday, we trailered over to El Sueño for our warm up ride.

As an aside, I am having so much fun with the team at STC Dressage. Every month that I come show, the team has welcomed me and made me feel right at home. Everyone comes out to help and watch and then we do a great dinner on Friday night. This time, we did a barn party which was especially entertaining because some of the horses joined in.

Sean (standing) finally getting a moment to relax. Managing all of us is a full time job.

The warm up ride on Friday looked like it was going to go great until it didn't. Just as Izzy would start to settle in, a horse outside of the ring would explode. I didn't get to see most of it as I was trying not to die, but both Sean and Valerie kept up a running commentary. Horses outside of the ring were rearing, bucking, bolting, and basically running amok. Poor Izzy didn't stand a chance. His brain just couldn't cope with so many horses in "distress." Even with all of that chaos happing behind us, there were still moments when I felt the horse that Izzy is going to be. His shoulders came up, his croup dropped, and he was swinging freely through his back.

For the first ten minutes of that ride though, I wasn't very happy. I wanted to burst into tears and toss Sean the reins. Izzy spooked really hard again and again so much so that my back took a beating. Sean's attitude does nothing but exude calmness and confidence though. No matter how poorly I was riding, no matter how anxiety ridden Izzy was, Sean never let up. He truly didn't care what others thought of the hot mess that was blasting around the ring. He simply continued his coaching as though we were the only two people out there. "Do exactly what you're doing. Keep chipping away it bit by bit. It doesn't matter."

More of STC Dressage's beautiful colors.

Once I got control of my emotions and let Sean's words get through that barrier of frustration and embarrassment, because really, who wants to be that rider?, I took a deep breath and started using the tools that he's been giving me. I flexed Izzy to the inside without pulling back. I worked to stay elastic in both my arms and hips. I asked Izzy to focus on me by bending his body and allowing him to go forward. My reward was little moments here and there of a very nice ride. Did it look nice? Not really. He was a mess, but I felt those fabulous moments and held tightly to the feeling they gave me because I know I can get them again.

STC Dressage is a beautiful facility. Call Sean for a tour!

And then we went to the show. To be continued ...

Pivo Meet Success!

7/19/2021

I finally did it; Sean Cunningham, owner and trainer at STC Dressage, was able to give me a lesson using Pivo Meet. Since I was at STC Dressage for the weekend, we used the time to do a virtual lesson, in person. Sean takes a weekly lesson from David Hunt who is currently serving on the Judges Supervisory Panel in Tokyo for the Olympic Games. Since David lives in England, Sean uses a Pixio and Cee Coach communication system while David coaches from his computer. They have found the system to be more than adequate, and as a result, Sean is getting great coaching from a world renowned trainer who's working an entire continent away.

It was Sean who first suggested we try something similar. Right now, I am able to make the nearly six hour round trip to STC Dressage every ten days or so, but once I return to teaching in mid-August, I won't be able to do that drive as frequently. If we can make the Pivo Meet work reliably, I could take a weekly lesson instead of going to his barn only once or twice a month. During the four months that Sean and I have been working together, we've developed a sufficiently solid working relationship that we both feel comfortable working together from separate counties.

Before we could do the lessons virtually, I had to find some earbuds that could work over Wi-Fi without losing the connection. Pivo Meet is a lot like a Zoom meeting. We can each see and hear each other, but since I am riding, I can't see Sean which means I need to wear earbuds that are synced to my phone. When I first researched the different options out there, price was influencing my decision more than anything else. Once I got serious about doing lessons using Pivo Meet, I decided I should use a better set of criteria in making my selection.

After reviewing a lot of different earbuds, I bought the Powerbeats Wireless Earbuds from Amazon. While not cheap at $99, they have more than 10,500 reviews, and 89% of them are positive. I decided to go with wireless with wires - who came up with that description?, as opposed to truly wireless because I didn't want to accidentally drop and lose one.

Powerbeats Wireless Earbuds

To my surprise, these little dudes are fabulous. The sound quality was exceptional, and never once did Sean and I lose communication. He plugged his headphones directly into my laptop which helped him hear me better over the wind. I attached my phone and Pivo at the C end of the arena, and Sean sat at a table on a raised platform (see photo above) behind the Pivo. The Powerbeats earbuds paired instantly with my iPhone, and even down at the A end of the arena, we could hear each other clearly.

I worried that the earbuds might glitch as the controls are located on the flat panel that bears the "b" logo which rest immediately under the straps of my helmet. Nope. Once I had the power on and the volume set, I put on my helmet and never once needed to touch the earbuds. They were comfortable right out of the box - they come with three extra ear pieces of varying sizes, and in fact, I forgot I even had them on.

As great as Pivo is, it's not perfect. When I would forget and ride too close to it, it would lose me, but Sean reported that it immediately un-zoomed itself, looking for me. He was able to control the Pivo from the laptop, so he could remotely track me if needed. Once he assumed control however, it no longer tracked me automatically. He played around with that feature for a bit just so he would understand its limitations and functionality while we were both in the same "room." Overall, he felt like it gave him a good enough picture of what I was doing for him to coach me.

The set up did take some time, but I only practiced twice, once a few months ago, and once an hour or so before this lesson. The steps were pretty easy to follow, and I even forgot to do a few things like close all ten billion open apps on my phone. Even so, it worked pretty smoothly. I did write about Pivo Meet once before, so I used that post as my tutorial.

For this dress rehearsal, these are the steps I followed:

Close all Apps on your phone (I forgot to do that but it worked anyway).
Set your phone to Do Not Disturb (I forgot to do that as well, and it still worked).
Pair the Powerbeats ear buds with your phone.
Launch the Pivo Meet app and "connect" to your phone.
Enable the microphone and camera (this is the default setting).
Choose your settings by swiping left: Horse, Center, Fast, Auto Zoom On, Predictive Follow Off, Target Exposure On.
Give the guest control of the Pivo Pod; the control button is at the bottom of the screen. This allows the trainer to track you if Pivo loses you.
Start the call.
Next, share the link via a text or email. I shared it to my laptop via email.
Trainer opens the email and clicks on the link.
Trainer has to follow the on screen directions

Pivo Meet doesn't record so this is a screenshot from an earlier lesson.

One successful experience doesn't mean we have the process perfected, but Sean is happy to give it a try. Since it will save me so much time and money (diesel is expensive), I am definitely looking forward to trying it for "real" next week. Unless we're in the Pivo Meet, we won't be able to hear one another if there is a problem, but I think once we have Pivo Meet open, Sean is tech savvy enough to get Pivo at least pointed in the right direction. And luckily for me, he's a sharp enough trainer that he can see a whole lot with even just a glimpse of Izzy's body. Mine too for that matter. My next lesson is on the 29th, and we're going to give it a try. I'll let you know how it goes.

For what I'll save in fuel over the next three lessons, Pivo will pay for itself and the Powerbeats. I am all in!

Adjustability

7/15/2021

I had a lesson last Thursday with Sean Cunningham, owner and trainer at STC Dressage. Taking lessons from a trainer who lives nearly three hours away has been a challenge, but it has been worth it. It might not look like we're making progress, but we are. In fact, on Thursday, the horse I had for the lesson was the same horse I ride at home. That is huge progress.

Smiling at Pivo instead of the normal "are you working?' squint.

Surprise!

I wasn't the only one surprised by the horse who showed up; Izzy took Sean by surprise as well. In fact, Sean kept saying, "Nothing about this upsets me." Sure, Izzy had moments where he was hollow, braced, and reluctant to let his under-neck muscle go, but he wasn't running around like a crazy person either. Overall, he just motored around trying his best not to work too hard.

Working harder than he thought.

A little shoulder-in.

Since he was so rideable, Sean was able to work with us on more than just rounder, rounder, rounder. He had me steepen the leg yields, adjust my position in the half passes, and work on collecting Izzy in the canter for just a stride as we work to improve the simple changes. We also worked on the shoulder-in to renvers. That is definitely a work very much in progress.

Doing his job.

And still doing his job.

Each time that I ride with Sean, he gives me little bits of homework like focussing on tempo and roundness. Over the past week, my homework was adjustability. Can I ask Izzy to sit for a just a stride or two? Can I ask for just a little more for a stride or two? Sean repeats over and over, "Ask him questions. Change the questions." And probably most importantly, he reminds me to trust Izzy and actually allow him to do the things I am asking for.

You got this, Dude!

Izzy and I are on our way back down to STC Dressage this morning for another lesson and a show. Tomorrow we'll drive to El Sueño for a warm up ride, and on Saturday and Sunday we'll show tests 1 and 2 from Second Level. My goal is no 4.0s, but "J," one of Speedy's ladies, encouraged me to think about getting 7.0s instead.

Both strategies will raise my scores, so why not?

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Not-So-Speedy Dressage

You Have the Tools - Part 3

You Have the Tools - Part 2

You Have the Tools - Part 1

Pivo Meet Success!

Adjustability

About the Writer and Rider

About Speedy G

About Izzy

National Rider Awards

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